DETROIT - Parents whose children showed up for classes at Westwood Community Schools on the state's official student count day were eligible to win a Saturn Vue, according to the Detroit Free Press.

While other schools weren't offering new cars, a number offered different incentives, according to the article, among them ice cream, bus service and new educational programs, the Free Press reported.

Sept. 24 was the day on which Michigan districts counted the number of students enrolled. Schools receive per-pupil funding of about $7,300. The number of students in Michigan dropped by almost 31,000 in 2007, according to the Free Press.

Enrollment at Inkster Public Schools, however, increased by 700 students, the Free Press reported, which school officials credited to advertisements about new educational programs. The article also noted that some public charter schools now offer bus service, including one academy that organized 14 bus stops in Detroit to transport students who otherwise would be assigned to Detroit Public Schools.